Steven R. March 5, 2019
When it rains it pours for Vega Squadron.
Following its rough outing at the 2019 Katowice Major, the Russian esports organization is looking for a full reboot of its Counter-Strike: Global Offensive division. On its website, Vega announced that its entire roster is available for trade, stating it is “ready to hear transfer offers regarding every player in the team.”
Though Vega was not expected to have an especially deep run at the major, the team still failed to live up to its potential. Despite limping into the event following a questionable showing at the Hunt Wave League, Vega had previously posted a strong performance at StarSeries & i-League CS:GO Season 6 that hinted the team was capable of more in Katowice.
Instead, Vega was among the first washouts from the event. After a solid opening to the Challengers Stage with a narrow defeat at the hands of G2 Esports and a win over Team Spirit, Vega was thrashed 16-1 by Team Vitality. From there it was eliminated from the tournament by Ninjas in Pyjamas.
The move comes at an awkward time for Vega, which recently parted with its Dota 2 team. Though the organization traditionally retains teams in a variety of esports titles, it now finds itself with an uncertain future everywhere outside of League of Legends.
That said, there may be opportunity for Vega moving forward.
Though the team is going to be shaken up, the CIS region is wide open in CS:GO. Rumors of infighting have dogged top-ranked Natus Vincere for months, and few other teams have established themselves as serious contenders in the region.
If Vega can find a good blend of talent, it may again find itself competing for major glory later in the year.